Dr Mukhtiar Singh Sidhu - Early School Life in Naval Base

The Naval Base British authorities built a completely self-sufficient “city” in the northern part of Singapore in 1938 thirteen miles away from the city center of Singapore. The nearest government school for those living in the Nava Base was at (12 m/s) twelve miles stone. There were two schools in the Naval Base - one for the British children, with qualified teachers from Britain, and the other one called Admiralty Asian School (AAS).

 

The Admiralty Asian School was initially a rudimentary pre-war building with two classes. The teachers were unqualified as there was no teacher - training education during those days. The intention, as was the case all over the British Empire, was to provide a basic education for the natives, so that they could be employed as low-level clerks and technicians. The school was of course closed during the Second World War. It reopened in 1946 after the return of the British. 

In 1946 the school consisted of 3 classes at the site where the old waterworks and reservoir was located. Two of these classes were for those whose education was interrupted by the war, and a new class was started for beginners. Over the years the nomenclature of education kept changing progressively. The system in which I was educated was Primary 1 and 2. This was later changed to Standard 1 to 9 upon the completion of which students were issued with School Certificates after which there was 18 months of Post School Certificate education making it a total of thirteen years. The exams for year 11 were set,  marked and graded by University of Cambridge. This was called a Senior Cambridge Certificate. Those who did not want to proceed to university could leave and find a suitable job. Those who wanted to further their education, either took the Higher School Certificate Examination after 2 years, or sat for the University Entrance Exam after 18 months. The old British system of university was to start the academic year from October to July the following year. 

A familiar Pass to those of us who grew up in Naval Base

As mentioned above, after the war, the AAS reopened in January 1946 at the old waterworks site. There were 3 classes: Year 1 to 3. Those who were studying before the war were enrolled in Year 2 or 3. Others like me started in Year 1. The Year 1 teacher was Mr. Veera Singham, who was also the principal. The Year 2 teacher was Mr. Kandiah, and the Year 3 teacher was Mr. Thambapillay. The enrolment was very simple. You gave your father’s name and your block and room number and that was all that was required.

 

I started Year 1 when I was nearly 9 years of age with many of my friends from the police barracks. The school did not have any facilities nor did it have a playing field. The school text books that we used were all from the UK, filled of course with British content. At the end of the year when the test results were released, it was announced that I had topped the class. Because of this I received a double promotion and was promoted directly to Y-3  in Teacher  Thambapillay's class.

 

1947 was my Y- 3 at AAS and it was pretty much a routine year with the biggest event in November of the year being the marriage of Princess Elizabeth to Prince Phillip. We had great celebrations at the school for a few days and were given ice-cream and chocolates, and a week off school! The following month, in December, I was admitted to the Asian Hospital with rheumatic fever for 6 weeks and was not allowed out of bed all this time because any activity could potentially damage my heart. This is when I met Alfred Dass’ father who was a hospital assistant. He used to let me hear my heart-beat with his stethoscope. While I was still in hospital, I received news that I had topped the class! 

 

Almost every year a new class was added, but due to space constraints in the school at Waterworks, in 1948  when I was in Y-4 it was moved to a building near Pakistan Road, just opposite the 14^th mile shops, within the fence. 

 The school had a small playground, where we assembled every morning and sang God Save The King. Once a week senior British ladies used to deliver talks to our class lasting a couple of hours. The speeches were about life in Britain, the British Monarchy, Houses of Commons and Lords, the four seasons etc., all of which were not related to our school syllabus. They also taught us how to knit simple woolen squares, to be used to make blankets for the British soldiers after the war. Once or twice a year a Naval Officer in white uniform, decorated with stripes of golden insignias on his broad shoulders and long sleeves would give a speech and present prizes to the winners of various competitions. We also had new teachers from the big smoke (HQ) which none of us had seen.  

 

In Y- 4, my teacher was a Mr. Bastian, who taught us in the morning and also taught at St. Joseph’s Institution in the afternoon. He started school chorus, poetry competitions, and staging plays. During class he used to digress often, to keep our attention. One day he called me aside and told me that I was wasting my time in the school. He suggested I go to St. Joseph’s Institution in the city. This was a semi-private school. He had spoken to the Director of that school, who was willing to accept me on his recommendation. In his letter of introduction, he mentioned I had passed Year 5, and that I should be enrolled in Year 6!! 

 

I was then over 11 years old, and never been much beyond the Canberra Gate. I had only been to our temple with my parents just outside at 13 miles. St. Joseph’s Institution was more than 13 miles (20km) away. The other issues were the expenses involved in bus fares, school fees, books, all of which had been free till now. My father who was a crane driver was earning very low wages, said he would find the money somehow, but the decision was mine. Fortunately, I was the only child.  All sorts of scenarios went through my mind. Till then I didn't have a care in my life.  (to be continued).

DISCLAIMER

In his next essay, Dr Muthiar shares "The Guiding Light"- a beacon in his holistic journey of life. We are fortunate to be able to share the Good Doctor's advice which will be informative and educational and thank him in anticipation. But before proceeding, he seeks Reader Discretion and Understanding:

"I would like to make some comments on my beliefs. Of course, many readers will not agree with me. So I apologize if I offend any reader. I don’t really believe in a formal religion. I was born into a Sikh family and followed all its strictures and rites, but over the years, like many faiths, I feel the original concept of religion has changed.  Several faiths have been created and hijacked by man. I believe in a spiritual concept of goodness, that leads towards a clean healthy and meaningful life.  It is this spirit I call a GUIDING HAND (GH) in my further writings-the invisible hand that guided me in the right direction on many occasions in my life".

 

Part 5(a) Early Scholastic Life: copyright of Dr Mukhtiar Singh Sidhu